


come with me, and we'll create magic together

by lesbianbey



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, F/F, Implied Rape/Non-con, Jeffershits gonna Jeffershit, Mutual Pining, No Rewind Powers, Past Rachel Amber/Chloe Price - Freeform, Rachel Amber Lives, References to Harry Potter Characters and Events, Rivals to Friends to Lovers, Slow Build, headboy!Drew, ilvermony whom?, metamorphagus!Chloe, prefect!Rachel, prefect!Victoria, you might hate chloe that’s up to you
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-23
Updated: 2018-10-30
Packaged: 2019-04-26 16:44:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14406261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lesbianbey/pseuds/lesbianbey
Summary: Victoria hated Rachel Amber, and everything about her, so why is this girl saving her from the boggart in the wardrobe?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> explained this in ffnet but basically I wanted to write a hogwarts!au and written one before this one but was bored. it had more pairings and was gonna be longer.

 

Victoria disliked Defense Against the Dark Arts.

For one, she shares it with the boisterous Gryffindors, also known as the most annoying house in the entire school. Second, Professor Green fucking sucked donkey balls and Victoria wondered how in the hell he received his fucking license in magic school teaching, if that were a thing. Third, and one in particular, they were learning about boggarts and the Riddikulus Charm this week and she did not want to reveal things about her to people she hated.

The boggart rattles the inside of a funky wardrobe. "Boggarts are beasts without a form, however get close to them and they will transform to your most secret and dearest fear. In order to defeat a boggart, you flick your wand and say _Riddikulus_ while thinking of something silly. Say it with me."

" _Riddikulus_ ," the class choruses.

"This class is ridiculous," Victoria mutters.

Professor Green looks at Victoria, with a look that says that she may be first if she keeps talking out of pocket. "What was that, Miss Chase?"

"Nothing," Victoria replies.

"Hm, are you sure, because it didn't sound like nothing."

Victoria rolls her eyes and leans against her seat. "I was just saying _riddikulus_ like the rest of the class," she lies.

"I don't think you were, and for that, you're first. Come on Miss Chase." Victoria growls under her breath and steps up without argument, facing Professor Green and the closed wardrobe. "You have a fear?"

"No I don't. Can I go back to my seat now?"

"Boo you whore." Victoria clenches the wand in her hand, feeling the urge to hex Chloe Price in her ugly ass face. "Just open the door teach! We'll find out soon enough."

Victoria turns around and is seconds away from muttering the clear incantation of the pimple jinx when she feels a warning hand on her shoulder. Before she turns back around, she catches another student smacking Chloe on the arm, then giving Chloe a particularly fiery stare. "Seriously can I go back to my seat?"

"No," Professor Green says. "Is your fear embarrassing? Is that it?"

"No but I'm not gonna entertain this fucking class with my goddamn fears."

"One, language. And two, I picked you so you're gonna go through with it." Victoria gulps when she sees the teacher grab the handle to the wardrobe. Dammit. She isn't ready for that. What if people tease her about it? Worse; what if _Chloe_ teases her about it? That salty, blue haired bitch has been _waiting_ for an opportunity to get back at Victoria for years after Victoria was mean to her on their first day meeting.

Fuck, but here it goes. The door opens and Victoria draws her wand up. There's a deafening silence as she sees a particularly younger man approach her with a wicked, twisted smirk. She recognizes this man — Mark Jefferson. Two years ago, Victoria had him for a class and one day she can barely remember anything but what happened is that she was under the Imperius Curse and Mark used her for the entire day inside an unused classroom. He's in Azkaban now but Victoria had dreams for weeks until she ordered her parents to make her forget using an obliviation spell. It didn't work.

...No. not _that_. Anything but _that_.

Her chest begins to constrict as she is instantly remembering the bits and pieces of a day she will never forget, even if she doesn't remember. She can feel the room getting smaller, Mark Jefferson towering over her and taking all of the oxygen in existence, making it so damn hard to breathe. Tears stream down her face as she looks at her former abuser in the face, and she instantly hates everything about her teacher. She would never reveal her fear, but she can surely reveal someone who has instilled fear into her for two years.

" _Riddikulus_!" A sudden strong voice brings her back to reality, then the class is laughing, and the boggart disappears inside the wardrobe. The person approaches the shaking Victoria. "Victoria? Are you ok?"

"I...no…"

"Look at me," the person says softly. Victoria doesn't budge, but she does hear the voice again. "Stand back! She needs room! Victoria, look at me. Come on."

Victoria turns her head, trying to relax when she sees the hazel eyes and feather earring, features belonging to Rachel Amber, a Gryffindor student in her grade. "...Rachel?"

"In through your nose, out through your mouth," Rachel orders. Victoria does what she's told, until the thumping in her heart slows down to a dull thumping. Rachel conjures a piece of a cloth, mutters an _Aguamenti_ and places it on Victoria's forehead. "You gave us a hella great scare, Victoria."

Victoria doesn't reply because darkness takes over the next second.

* * *

The next minute Victoria wakes up, the sky is darkening and the lights inside the infirmary are on. Damn, did she really have that bad of a panic attack to sleep the entire day? She breathes out and lifts her torso up. "Hey hey hey, slowly." A hand guides her to sit up, and when she's settled, a tablet of chocolate appears right in front of her. "It'll make you feel better."

Victoria turns her head, and stares at Rachel. "Why the _hell_ are you helping me?"

"You just had a panic attack so severe that you were unconscious for four hours. Why wouldn't I be helping you?"

"You hate me?"

Rachel scoffs. "No. _You_ hate _me_. I don't know why, but you do." There's an awkward silence as Victoria takes the chocolate and eats it slowly. "I had to reveal to the entire class that I'm scared of vampire bats to save you from that panic attack. Honestly, no one was expecting you to be scared of Jefferson."

"He...I don't know what he did to me, Rachel. None of the tests the Healers did reveal anything, but he just took photos. Sickening photos. He used an Unforgivable which made him suspect but...that? Of course I'm scared of him. I'm scared that he might do something worse, without using the Imperius Curse."

"None of us knew that because we were mostly weirded out that he got arrested in the first place."

Victoria scoffs. "Yeah because my parents and I didn't want my information disclosed for when he stood before Wizengamot. It was to protect the Chase legacy but also to protect me in a way...I told that damn teacher I didn't want to do the _Riddikulus_ exercise but he keeps pushing me and the only thing I can do is face a fear that I will never get over. With a little of classical conditioning, your fear of bats may subside but me? I hate men. I hate Jefferson. I can barely look at my dad the same way...despite being the only man I love."

"That's deep…"

"Yep." The only person who knows of these things are her parents. That's the only people that deserve to know, because everyone else would not understand Victoria and her hatred of men and trust issues. Her parents try to get her to talk to a specialized mediwizard but to no avail because most of them are men and Victoria couldn't trust people very easily. "So, I assume everyone's wondering what the hell is happening, or they're probably laughing at me…"

"No one's laughing at you. Mostly, people are confused and your friends were really concerned, especially Taylor."

Victoria should definitely talk to Taylor before she has a panic attack. "I'll talk to her once I'm out of this stupid hospital."

"Well, Poppy did say she'll release you once you wake up so…" Rachel gets up and heads to the office, leaving Victoria for a few minutes by herself. What the fuck was Rachel's deal? She never liked the Gryffindor in the first place. In retrospect, she never liked anyone other than her parents and her best friends Taylor and Courtney. Rachel is one of the school's most popular and elite who knows how to talk her way out of sticky situations and cares for other students no matter which house they're in. There's already talk about Rachel becoming head girl next year, despite being a sixth year and the year starting a few months ago.

Rachel was also, arguably, one of the school's out and proud students in the entire school, which intimidated Victoria at one point. She dated Chloe for over a year until they broke up during the summer over something that neither girl disclosed to anyone, but it probably had to do with Chloe being a huge bitch who not only sucks the positive energy from people like a Dementor, but _loves_ to rain on other people's parades all the time with her daddy issues and questionable mental health. Victoria wondered why people like Rachel or even that quiet, mousy, fake quirky Hufflepuff Max Caulfield see in her to be her girlfriend, or her friend in Max's case. Sure, she hated bullies but everyone does. Doesn't make anyone special.

Rachel comes back with the nurse, who checks Victoria's vitals and clears her to be discharged, and just in time for dinner. Rachel walks her out of the infirmary, much to Victoria's slight annoyance. "You don't have to walk me out, you know."

"But, I _want_ to," Rachel remarks, a slight smile creeping up on her lips. "You had a panic attack and fainted in class, Victoria. I'm just looking out for you because I _want_ to, _not_ because I think it's the right thing to do."

Victoria sighs. "You're not gonna quit, huh?"

"We'll go our separate ways when we go to dinner," Rachel promises.

"Ok, fine, but this happens once. You hear me?"

Victoria's empty threat falls on deaf ears, and she knows it. "Ok. Whatever you say, Chase." Then Rachel smiles again, making Victoria growl under her breath as she walks downstairs to the Great Hall.

* * *

"What was Rachel even _doing_ there?" Courtney Wagner inquires, breaking apart the Yorkshire pudding in her plate with her fork and knife. "Does she even know that you hate her?"

"Hell if I know, Court," Victoria answers vaguely. She isn't even hungry now that she's looking at what's on the menu. Everything around her looks unappealing. Maybe it's the panic attack she had earlier that made her lose her appetite for the day, or maybe the House elves were particularly lazy for the entire Slytherin table as usual. "I woke up and she was just there."

"I think the real question that's on everyone's minds is the boggart in the damn wardrobe," Nathan says nonchalantly. "Out of all the fears in the world, an older man is your fear? One that used to teach here nonetheless?"

"Nathan, shut the fuck up," Taylor growls. "She doesn't have to explain _shit_ to you."

"It was kinda funny when Rachel transformed her vampire bats to tone deaf canaries," Courtney giggles.

Victoria rubs her temples. She could feel a headache coming in soon and it's probably because she's skipping dinner. "Vic, you _gotta_ eat something," Taylor whispers. She pushes a plate of food in front of her. "I know you and your ability to skip meals."

"I'm _fine_ , Taylor," she lies swiftly. "I just...feel overstimulated."

"Mmm, love your ability to lie to me. Now eat."

Victoria growls. "Stop forcing me to eat this slop."

"I have some Every Flavor Beans if you want," Courtney offers, pulling out a sack of jellybeans she received in her last visit to Hogsmeade. "I know how much you love those."

"She needs to eat _real_ food, Courtney," Taylor frowns.

Victoria grabs the sack of jellybeans and starts eating them. "This _is_ real food, Christensen. It has baked bean flavor and chicken flavor."

"I hate baked beans," Courtney gags, then helps herself to a second helping of mashed potatoes. "How do people eat that? Why do they eat it? Who ever said that beans needed to be sweet and put over a slice of toast?"

Victoria starts laughing. "Fucking Brits and their obsession with combining carbohydrates."

"You fucking said it," Courtney agrees, drowning her mashed potatoes with gravy.

"Says the girl eating jellybeans and the other girl drowning her potatoes in gravy," Taylor points out, with an unsatisfied look on her face. "Seriously, Victoria, what's _with_ you lately? Are you still shaken from your boggart?"

"Hardly," Victoria lies, dropping several jellybeans in her mouth. Huge mistake when she tastes soap mixed in with passionfruit and butterbeer, and she's regurgitating it on a piece of paper. "Fuck, that was nasty. Never again."

Taylor rolls her eyes and pushes a cup of pumpkin juice in front of her. Victoria eagerly takes it and drinks the entire thing. "This is what I mean when I say you gotta eat something other than Bertie Bott's Every Nasty Flavor Beans!"

"You take that back," Courtney hisses.

"I sure as hell won't take shit back, Wagner," Taylor argues back.

"Ok, ok, I'll eat something if that means I don't have to hear you two argue about some goddamn Honeydukes candy!" Victoria eyes the plate Taylor fixed for her and starts to eat. There's zero flavor and she feels like throwing it back up, but she swallows through the pain. "Happy?"

"Sure," Taylor smiles.

When dinner finishes, Victoria goes straight to the dungeons and takes off her uniform, then heads to the Slytherin Common Room. "Hey Taylor, did you get my homework since I basically slept the entire day in Poppy's infirmary?"

"Yeah, I did," Taylor answers, giving Victoria a slip of paper detailing all of her homework assignments for her NEWT level classes. "I couldn't get Astronomy since that's at night but…"

"It's tonight. I'll be able to go to class," Victoria replies.

"You share the class with Amber, right?"

Victoria vaguely remembers seeing Rachel in her astronomy class, mostly because she's trying to avoid the girl, but now that she's thinking about it… " _Motherfuck_! Just when I wanted to avoid the lesbian…"

Taylor's eyebrows furrow. "She did kind of save you, Vic."

Victoria shakes her head and rolls her eyes. "What, does that mean I have to befriend Rachel Amber now? Taylor, I don't trust anyone other than you, Courtney, and my doting parents. Sometimes I can't even trust my dad completely but I don't try to let it show. You think I would accept _Rachel_ as my equal?"

"Maybe you should," Taylor shrugs.

"You don't like her."

"I never said that," Taylor blinks. "I just entertained your intense dislike of her because it made you happy, but if we're being honest, if I hate anyone in this school, it would be Nathan...and Chloe."

"See, that's why you're my bestie!" Victoria smiles. "We both hate Kari Price."

Taylor shakes her head in amusement. "I love you, Victoria. Now, can we start on homework before your astronomy class tonight?"

"Problems in Transfiguration, huh?"

Taylor pouts a little. "Hashtag Transfiguration probs."

* * *

Astronomy class is one class Victoria didn't entirely hate taking. She started taking it during her fourth year and already, she enjoys it. Most of the time they're learning about the stars and planets, but now that she's in NEWT level astronomy, they're learning things like constellations. The stars are especially bright on Wednesday nights, which is why it's set up once a week, in the middle of the week, with only a handful of students. It's the smallest class this semester.

Victoria finds herself alone in this class because her friends are asleep or studying, and the only other students she recognize other than Rachel is Max Caulfield, and that other student Kate Marsh, a Ravenclaw. She hasn't even paid much attention until now.

"We're going to be identifying constellations through our telescopes, so find yourself a partner—" Victoria suppresses a low growl, wishing that one of her friends did take the class after all. That way, she could avoid Rachel. But that doesn't seem to be the case because students are getting paired off, and Max paired herself with Kate, leaving Rachel to pair with Victoria.

"We meet again," Rachel jokes.

Victoria rolls her eyes. "You again? Are you stalking me?"

"No!" Rachel chuckles. "I don't know anyone else in this class other than you so…"

Victoria's eyes narrow in suspicion. "I doubt you never heard of either Maxine or Katelyn."

"No, I heard of them. They're kinda dating so separating them would be a crime."

"For fuck's sake, is everyone _not straight_ in this school?" Victoria groans. Everyone seems to be entering themselves in same sex relationships, even Taylor who expressed her obvious, transparent crush on Dana Ward, the Hufflepuff who's dating a fellow Slytherin named Trevor.

"Afraid not, Victoria," Rachel giggles. "Hogwarts is a gays only school. Other schools don't compare."

"Whatthefuckever," Victoria sighs. "What are we identifying? Constellations?"

Rachel moves the telescope towards the sky. "Indeed we are. We should start on Leo."

"Funny, the Gryffindor wants to start on the same constellation as her mascot," she says sarcastically.

"I'm also a Leo. Roar," Rachel smirks.

"Figures," Victoria snorts.

Rachel widens her eyes. "Did the great almighty Victoria Chase just snort? Interesting."

"For fucks sake, do you Gryffindors think I'm a robot?"

"It was mostly Chloe who drilled it in my head—"

"Of _course_ it was!"

Rachel couldn't stop laughing. Victoria is slowly realizing how weirdly refreshing it is to talk to Rachel, without the shackling thought of their one sided beef or what she revealed hours ago. She probably should've known that earlier but who cares. "Can you blame her, Vicky? You're kinda stuck up."

"I am not! I just...keep a small circle. Plus Kari Price looks like she can dampen your mood with just one look. People get bad vibes from me but I get bad vibes from her!"

Rachel frowns a little, then shrugs. "I surprisingly don't get bad vibes from you."

"Good to know, Amber." Victoria identifies the first constellation as Orion. Most of the constellations are part of the astrological zodiac, but Victoria thinks that's more on divination than it is for astronomy. Not everyone believes in astrology, not like Rachel or Victoria to an extent.

When class ends, Victoria has a long way to go since they're in the astronomy tower and the dungeons are on the last official floor of the castle. She could probably follow Max since the Hufflepuff Basement isn't too far from the dungeons, plus she's getting a small growling sensation in her stomach. She know she should've eaten more than a couple bites of Yorkshire pudding.

After tickling the pear, she steps inside and grabs a couple peanut butter and jelly sandwiches before heading to the dungeons. The common room only has a few students, a couple first years. "Get to bed, _now_ ," she orders, making the Slytherin first years scatter to their rooms.

"Eating late again?" Taylor yawns, stretching her body to release a silent crack.

"The Yorkshire pudding was gross today," Victoria replies, handing Taylor a nicely wrapped peanut butter and jelly sandwich. "This right here, is a perfect staple."

"True," Taylor agrees, ripping into her sandwich. "How was class today?"

"Professor Sinistra made us pair up so I was paired up with Rachel since the only other two students in class are dating and no one informed to tell me…"

"I don't like Max. You know that," Taylor says.

"Maxine just looks boring but I bet she's more interesting than Kari Price," Victoria defends. She never really hated Max or anyone else other than Nathan, Chloe, Brooke, Juliet, Dana, and Rachel. "Anyway…uh, I hate to say this but she isn't that bad, in a weird, Gryffindor way."

Taylor chuckles. "So you like her."

"No, no I don't like her." Victoria says back. She isn't sure if she even hates Rachel anymore but she doesn't like her either.

"Seems like she likes you," Taylor shrugs.

"Don't be ridiculous, Christensen. She just feels sorry for me because Jeffershitstain came out of the boggart and I had a panic attack."

"The entire class was worried, Chase. Even Chloe was concerned. Her hair turned a different color." Taylor fixes her shirt a little and crumples the parchment paper up. "From what the school found out, he was arrested but no one really has the details on what he did. And you're scared of him so he must've done something to you."

"Taylor…"

"What did he do?" Taylor asks, through gritted teeth.

"He _used_ me," Victoria answers.

Taylor raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean he _used_ you?"

"It means he was using me for some torture child porn," Victoria replies. She almost hears the crack in her voice...almost. "I was under the Imperius Curse, and he basically just took disturbing photos of me the whole day. I can't remember shit but I can remember feeling weird right after, the covert trials that didn't reveal me as one of his victims, and the dreams I used to have so...finding out that he's my greatest fear put me in a state of shock and panic. I...I couldn't breathe and…"

"Vic," Taylor whispers softly.

"If I hadn't trusted him I wouldn't be this fucking messed up, enough to have a human as my greatest fear! Or even, men in general. This is why my relationship with my dad has declined, because I can't trust them and I know it hurts him because I'm his little girl but—" Victoria breaks down in sobs as Taylor pulls her in a comforting embrace. She lets Victoria ruin her dress robes for a few minutes until she stops.

Overwhelmed with stress, Victoria lulls herself to sleep on Taylor.


	2. Chapter 2

Rachel  _barely_  understood her new fascination with Victoria Chase.

For many years, she knew the blond haired pureblood disliked her and she said nothing about it because she knew everyone will have haters regardless of how nice and kind you are. However, she has seen a change in the once mean and spiteful person in the last two years. Something happened at the end of fourth year involving Jefferson and a mysterious child porn charge that caused him to be sent to Azkaban for the rest of his life but Rachel didn't understand why. Mark Jefferson was a popular student among a bunch of students, especially to not only Victoria but Max Caulfield, her ex-girlfriend Chloe Price's best friend since childhood.

However when Victoria told her why Jefferson was her boggart, Rachel put the pieces together and it basically summed up why Victoria was absent from classes at a time during the end of fourth year and sometimes during fifth year. She hasn't slept adequately since then. Imagining Jefferson harming a student, let alone Victoria, in a way makes her skin crawl and make her see a bit of red. If Jefferson we're here now, Rachel would've torn his testicles out.

She gets ready for the day, running on four hours of sleep. She's the sixth year prefect but she still shares a room with her roommates Chloe, Stella, and a student named Marissa who doesn't interact with anyone other than a few students and is probably a Gryffindor version of Victoria Chase. Neither girl even notices that Rachel is sleep deprived, which gives her a perfect chance to use a glamour spell to hide her developing dark circles.

Breakfast is usually spent either talking to Chloe or trying to eavesdrop on the latest teacher drama with Hayden, but she is too tired to do any of those things and wishes that the house elves have enough coffee to put in her system for the day.

She watches every so often for a sign of Victoria, almost every second sip of her warm coffee, until Chloe notices what she's doing. "Who are you looking for?"

"Huh?" Rachel snaps her head to stare at Chloe. "What did you ask me?"

"My dog, Rachel. Are you ok?"

Rachel nods. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

"You've been looking in between the Great Hall entrance and the Slytherin table for the entire time you've gotten here," Chloe points out, then munches on her cereal.

Rachel would tell Chloe the truth, but she knows how Chloe is when she talks about anyone Chloe hates. It's been like that since third year, which is why Rachel hasn't talked about people Chloe dislikes, including Victoria. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Uh huh."

"I think I know why she's looking at the house of snakes lately," Max says, smirking knowingly. Rachel almost forgot Max is in her astronomy class. If she dares reveal what happened, Rachel will hex Max without question, no matter how much Rachel likes Max. She gives Max an appointed glare which says more than what she lets on, which makes Max cower a little. "I lied. She's just bored."

"I understand Rachel lying to me, but Max too?" Chloe frowns.

Rachel smirks behind her cup of coffee. It worked. "Sorry, Chloe. It's the truth."

"Whatever. I just hope you're still not worried about Sticky Vicky," Chloe waves off. "I don't know what the fuck happened yesterday, but not even  _that_  would make me dislike the girl less."

"Chloe, she had a panic attack about a fucking teacher. That isn't  _always_  fun to experience," Rachel defends.

"You  _are_  still worried about her!" Chloe drops her spoon and looks at Rachel incredulously. "Out of all the people you move on with, you pick the biggest bitch in the  _entire_  castle?"

Rachel flares her nostrils, and glares intensely at Chloe. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"You like her," Chloe affirms.

Rachel isn't even 100 percent as to why she's interested in Victoria, so she can't give a straight answer. However, she will not let Chloe Elizabeth Price shame her for taking interest in someone who used to be a mean girl, especially someone who was traumatized before they turned fifteen. "I don't know what your problem is, but I don't think arguing with me on whether I like Victoria or not is any of your business. We're not together anymore, remember? I can like whoever the fuck I want, and vice versa...and that is if I like her."

"There it is!" Max grins from ear to ear. "You  _are_  head over heels for Victoria Chase."

"Shut up, Caulfield. I don't like her. I just...I don't know, maybe I realized she needs a non-Slytherin friend...especially after the incident yesterday."

"Victoria doesn't need a non-Slytherin friend. She needs to fuck off somewhere," Chloe argues.

Rachel doesn't want to hear any more deprecating things from Chloe's mouth, especially about someone she is confused about. Aborting finishing the rest of her breakfast, she simply gets up and leaves the Great Hall altogether. Class will start in almost fifteen minutes so she'll be fine until class starts.

Fuck, she still can't believe Chloe. What would compel the girl to say that? Rachel understands why Chloe may still hate Victoria but for her to say the shit she did, it makes her even more angry than the reason why they broke up. Around that time, they were having way too many fights, and they have gotten so intense that other wizards have to get involved so that Rachel doesn't blast Chloe into another dimension. So, now when they have fights like this, Rachel just walks away which makes Chloe even more mad but she can care less. Sometimes she finds herself disliking Chloe, but she knows deep down she will always love her too.

Her first class is Transfiguration, one class she enjoys more than Astronomy and Defense. It can surely get her mind off of Chloe's immature behavior, Max's teasing words, and Victoria altogether.

* * *

The only classes she shares with Victoria are Defense and Astronomy so Rachel has zero to worry about, however she worries. She's seen Victoria a few times today being held by Taylor Christensen and Courtney Wagner, her best friends for as long as Rachel can remember going to school here. She probably told them, Rachel thinks. It would probably explain why she caught Courtney shedding some tears when they were at the viaduct.

Aside from seeing Victoria, she actively avoids Chloe and Max. While Max was just teasing her, Chloe was straight up judging her for possibly having feelings for a mean girl. She doesn't even know what's going on to even entertain Chloe right now.

"You seem distracted." Rachel sighs and picks her head up, not really surprised to who approached her. "From what I hear, you interfered during a lesson in boggarts."

"News travels fast around here."

"That and Professor Green can't keep his trap shut," Drew smirks, shrugging a little. "He likes teasing his students so it didn't surprise me that someone got a panic attack minutes into the lesson. What did surprise me was when I heard that the person in question is Victoria."

"She was having a panic attack. What was I to do? No one else stepped up, which didn't surprise me because this school practically hates the Queen of Bitch."

"Fair point." Rachel groans, putting her head on the table. "Chloe's been extra angry today. I asked who pissed in her Cheerios this time and she mentioned you so either she's mad that you stepped in yesterday or you did something."

"Chloe's being Chloe. Don't worry about her too much."

"That'd be hard if she wasn't my best friend," Drew points out.

"She's mad because I might like Victoria," Rachel admits.

Drew nods. "Now I see why she's mad. You ever think that she still has feelings for you? I mean, you two may have ended things on a sour note but maybe she isn't over it?"

Rachel sighs. "I do, but then I think about the many fights we had last semester and it's right back to trying to live my life without Chloe Price."

"Ok, well let me ask you this. Do you actually like Victoria?"

Rachel throws her hands up in defeat. "I don't know. I'm not sure where I stand right now. I just know that she can be good company when she isn't being the notorious bitch she's known to be. And to be frank, I would love it if people would stop judging me for taking an interest in Victoria, let alone a Slytherin student."

"I'm not judging you," Drew defends. "If you like her, that's fine. I can't dictate how I feel about her because she hasn't crossed me or my brother and word of mouth is just word of mouth. What I do know is that if she makes you happy, you go for it. Don't let your ex stop you from achieving happiness, and don't let other people do it either."

"Yeah, I'll do that. Thanks, Andrew."

Drew rolls his eyes. "Ok, Rachel. I should go but when you wanna talk, you know where to find me. I'm only here for this year and then I'm off to Auror training."

"Time is hella short, huh," Rachel jokes.

Drew chuckles a little before he leaves the library. Rachel stares at the books in front of her, growling as she pushes them away, getting annoyed with her Herbology lesson. Why did she even take this class again if she hated it so much?

* * *

After aborting her studying session, Rachel goes to the Great Hall for lunch. She didn't want to talk to Chloe and her other roommates aren't that appealing so she decides to sit somewhere else: the Slytherin table.

Surely, she did get a lot of glares. Nathan Prescott delivers a sharp one at her that could probably kill her. However, she wants to sit by Victoria this one time to see how things would go. Needless to say, Victoria is flabbergasted.

"What are you doing here, Rachel?" Victoria hisses.

"Decided I would change things up a bit and sit here," Rachel smiles at Victoria, who narrows her eyes as much as she can muster. "This is way different than sitting at the other side of the room."

"Everyone's staring," Victoria gestures to her fellow classmates, and rest assured, everyone is staring. "Plus...we're not exactly friends. I still don't like you very much."

Rachel feigns offense, despite feeling a little offended and hurt. "After I saved you from that boggart? I thought we were not enemies at least."

"Oh my god, Amber. I don't like you. Can you go back to your table so this won't seem weird anymore?" Victoria finally snaps, catching the attention of almost everyone inside the hall.

Rachel frowns, slightly out of confusion because why is she worried about Victoria kicking her out, and also out of hurt because...Victoria is kicking her out. She thought there was something despite being hella confused about her feelings, but it's clear that Victoria is putting up a front, and a good one at that. Rachel rises up from the seat and glares at Victoria intensely. "Fine."

"Good," Victoria smirks, then sits down as Rachel storms off to the Gryffindor table. Things aren't as silent anymore but she still gets a couple astonished stares. She sits right next to the only part of the table that has room: next to Chloe. She doesn't even want to address Chloe or hear the I-told-you-so that Chloe is notorious for using, but…

"I told you so," Chloe says smugly.

Rachel fixates her glare at Chloe, but then she relaxes and settles for a petty smirk. "I'm sorry, were you saying something?"

Chloe is unfazed. "You know what I said. You put all your eggs in one basket for Bitchtoria Chase and you get burned at the end. So, yeah, I told you so."

"Why are you so fucking concerned about my life now, huh? Is it because I'm  _finally_  moving on from you and your bullshit?" Rachel inquires, her smirk faltering to a sneer that would rival her potions professor. "Give it a rest, Chloe. Just because I'm not showing you enough attention it doesn't mean you have to ruin my chances at finding someone different! And yeah, I know what the fuck you're gonna say and maybe you're right, but fuck you. Instead of being supportive, since we're friends, you wanna fight me because I  _might_  like someone you hate!" Chloe clenches her fists, and stands up. Rachel stands up as well and despite being a couple feet shorter she can still glare at Chloe with just as much intensity. "What, Chloe? You wanna fight me so bad because I'm right?  _Go ahead!_  It doesn't matter if it involves magic, words, or fists, you are  _no_  competition for me!"

Rachel ignores some of the wolf whistles and keeps staring intensely at Chloe, waiting for her to say or do something. What she doesn't expect is for Chloe to pull her by the wrist and drag her out of the Great Hall, towards the staircase for the basement. Rachel doesn't even protest. "You think this is easy for me, to watch you develop a crush on Victoria after breaking up with me?"

"Well, no one said it was gonna be easy, Price!" Rachel exclaims. "I'm allowed to like other people, even if it  _is_  Victoria. It doesn't matter if you don't like her. I do. Or at least, I think I do. She just kicked me out of her table and I'm still pissed off so…"

"You deserve someone  _way_  better than her," Chloe says softly, her eyes twinkling with tears.

Rachel couldn't even resist it. She hated to see Chloe get sad, but sometimes…"No, Chloe. I deserve someone way better than you and you deserve someone way better than me. We weren't a perfect match. Maybe I have that perfect match with her. I'm still trying to weigh my options while the time ticks."

Chloe sighs, wiping her face. "What if I still loved you?"

Rachel blinks a couple times and grabs Chloe's chin. "I would tell you to not waste your time. I love you Chloe, I always will, but we can't be together."

Rachel drops her hands and walks away, ignoring Chloe's sniffles and holding back her own tears.

* * *

When Defense Against the Dark Arts rolls in, Rachel's stomach grumbles. She realizes that she didn't get to eat anything after being exiled from the Slytherin table by Victoria and not going back to the Great Hall after her fight with Chloe. However, it slips her mind when the teacher walks in and Victoria walks in right after, sitting down before he turns around. "Ah, Miss Chase. You've seem to recover from yesterday's activity."

"Yes, I have."

"Good." He turns to the class and addresses them. "We will be continuing our lesson in boggarts, and since Miss Chase and Miss Amber participated yesterday they are exempt. Everyone else line up!"

Rachel breathes a sigh of relief while everyone lines up. She eyes Victoria, watching as she pulls out a nail file and fixes her nails, paying zero attention to the lesson. She looks up after a few seconds and their eyes meet before Rachel turns around and pretends to care about the lesson. Truth is, she does  _not_.

Weirdly, even if Victoria kicked her out of the Slytherin table, Rachel isn't a person to give up easily. She couldn't give up when she just got so far. Yeah, she may have more work now that Victoria doesn't seem like the type to break from her usual routine but Rachel definitely wants to weigh in her options. Does she like Victoria as a friend, or is there something more? A small part says friendship, because why the hell not and Rachel could use a friend with a different outlook on life, but a smaller, buried, tucked away somewhere in the abyss of her subconscious, part of her wants something more.

And she knows Victoria wants it too.

She gets up, ignoring the shapeshifting boggart and sits in front of Victoria. "Is it ok if I sit here, since you kicked me out during lunch today."

Victoria casts her eyes up, then down and keeps filing.

Rachel sighs. "Vic, come on. I really thought we had something."

"I can't be seen with you, Amber," Victoria whispers. "No matter how much we don't hate each other."

"Why not? Are you so worried about what this school thinks?" Rachel asks. Victoria stays quiet, resuming her nail filing. "You  _really_  think that whatever anyone says, matters? If I was fazed by your intense dislike of me, I wouldn't be here. Don't worry about what the rest of the school thinks. Do what you want, because life is way too short to be worrying about people coming up with theories as to why Rachel Amber and Victoria Chase are not enemies."

"What about your chameleon best friend? Price?"

"Fuck Chloe," Rachel responds, half-meaning it. "She shouldn't be relevant right now to you. So come on, Victoria. Just let go and stop thinking about what everyone else thinks. Do what Victoria wants to do."

Victoria places her nail file on the table, but doesn't unfold her arms on her chest. "Ok."

"Ok, so now can we put this one sided beef to the side, forever?"

Victoria laughs, and it's the first time Rachel's hearing her laugh without any malice in her tone. It's...adorable. "Yeah. Consider our one sided beef squashed. It's gonna get some used to but…"

"I'll be here for you if things get tough," Rachel promises, her eyes full of fire. "They don't call Gryffindors loyal for nothing."

Victoria smiles genuinely. "You're so annoying."

Rachel smiles back. "Get used to it, Chase, because I get worse from here."

Victoria groans, but then she looks at Rachel with a look that Rachel couldn't read. Then it changes to something else, and she's breaking out in a huge grin. Rachel wishes she could capture the moment and save it forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so uh, hp hogwarts mystery came out and I’m living vicariously as a slytherin student and one of the characters reminded me of victoria lmao


	3. Chapter 3

Victoria looks forward to Defense now.

Before, she hated the class because Professor Green likes to pick on people like Victoria out of the blue and participate in stupid defense spells like dealing with Cornish pixies. But, she ignores that in favor for being in Rachel's presence.

She doesn't even realize how much she wanted something with Rachel until that moment in class when people are fighting their fears, and Rachel's just grinning at her and Victoria couldn't stop grinning back at that moment. She favors spending as much time with Rachel as possible for the next few days, until it's Saturday and it's Hogsmeade weekend. Victoria would normally go with Taylor and Courtney, using a special walkway because they felt like it, but Courtney has a common cold that requires her to be on bed rest for the day and Taylor has a long Potions essay to do, now that she procrastinated until the last minute.

Sighing, she decides to go by herself, after realizing she's running out of her favorite jelly beans.

"Oh, Victoriaaa!" Rachel sing songs.

Victoria breaks out in a grin and turns around, waiting for Rachel to approach her. "Rachel. You're going to Hogsmeade Village?"

"Stephanie put me on a Pepper Imp run," Rachel gags. "I don't understand why she loves those."

"I  _hate_  Pepper Imps," Victoria complains. "I got a mouth ulcer once because of those things."

"They just sound gross," Rachel says back.

When they reach to Hogsmeade, they immediately go inside Honeydukes Candy Shop. Victoria picks up sacks of Every Flavor Beans while Rachel takes a couple chocolate frogs, sugar quills, and Pepper Imps. "You  _like_  those?" Rachel asks, gesturing to the jelly beans.

"You  _don't_?" Victoria fake gasps.

"I eat the fruity flavored ones and throw away the rest."

"Wimp! A real one eats a passion fruit flavored one, a soap flavored one, and a butterbeer flavored one," Victoria boasts, remembering the time she did it earlier this week.

Rachel screws up her face. "Ew." Rachel places her candy on the counter and watches as the salesman scans her items. "And suddenly I want butterbeer. We're stopping at the Three Broomsticks before we go back to the castle, right?"

"Wouldn't be a Hogsmeade weekend if we don't."

Victoria pays for her candy and they head to the Three Broomsticks. It's mostly busy because it's the only other pub that doesn't look or feel dirty. Victoria could never forget when Nathan dared her to go to Hog's Head for a few minutes and she had to burn her clothes to remove the smell of goat on her clothes.

There are already a few students hanging out. She sees Nathan in one corner, but she ignores that piece of shit. Then there's Dana in a hushed yet heated conversation with Trevor, then there is Juliet making out with Zach. The owner, Joyce Price, looks just about done with the couple but when she sees Rachel and Victoria walk in, she diverts her attention to some new customers.

"Good afternoon gals," Joyce greets, pulling a pen from behind her ear. "What can I get ya?"

"Two butterbeers please," Rachel says to the woman.

Joyce glances at Rachel, and pulls her in for a short hug. "Rachel. How are you? How could I have missed you?"

"You were annoyed by Juliet Watson making out with Zachary Riggins," Rachel retorts, gesturing to the couple who is still making out.

"Fair point." She turns to Victoria, giving her a smile as well. "How are you, Victoria?"

"Good, thanks miss Joyce," Victoria says back, with a simple politeness that she rarely shows in front of others other than Taylor.

"And your friends? Where are they?"

"Courtney is bedridden and Taylor keeps procrastinating her Potions essays even after Professor Malfoy chewed her out about delivering subpar essays," Victoria sighs, shaking her head. "She'll never learn but what can we do?"

"All we can do is let them make mistakes," Joyce shrugs. "Am I right, Rachel?"

Rachel blushes a little. "Definitely."

"I'll be out with your butterbeers." Once Joyce leaves, Victoria glances at Rachel, furrowing her eyebrows.

"What was she talking about?"

"It's no secret that Joyce is Chloe's mom," Rachel says. Victoria always knew but she wishes it weren't true because Joyce is one of the most tender-hearted adults she has encountered since she started at Hogwarts, and Chloe's a Terrible Tammy. "Basically Chloe's been screwing up since her father died when she was ten, and she basically mentions that I watch Chloe keep making mistakes. But, I can't do anything about it. It's Chloe's life."

"Exactly. Sometimes I wonder how did a kind and beautiful woman gave birth to a human version of a Dementor," Victoria replies.

Rachel splutters in laughter. "You  _really_  hate Chloe, huh?"

"Yeah, I fucking do." Victoria almost panics, realizing that Chloe is Rachel's friend and ex regardless of how Victoria feels about her. "Is that a problem, because I can—"

"It's ok, Vicky. I don't like her much either," Rachel admits. "After the breakup, she's been more...argumentative. She even fought me over you, which was useless."

Rachel and Chloe were fighting about her? What could they possibly fight about? Does Chloe not want Rachel to be friends with Victoria, is that it? Or is Chloe scared that Victoria would steal Rachel away from her?

Victoria is very sure that Chloe doesn't have to worry about any of that. Rachel is only friends with Victoria. Rachel and Chloe are besties and that isn't even comparable. Regardless of how Rachel feels about Chloe, they're still friends who have a history together.

Victoria suddenly feels a rage, a sudden rage the more she thinks about Rachel's past with Chloe. She recognizes it: jealousy. Why would she be jealous of Rachel's past relationship with Chloe? Who was she jealous at? Surely not Rachel because she hated Chloe, and Chloe?  _Hah._  Feeling jealous of Chloe because of her relationship with Rachel is as far fetched as the rumor of the ghost of Vincent Crabbe inside the Room of Requirement.

Then again, each time she thinks about Chloe kissing Rachel during their relationship, she wants to scream.

All is forgotten however, when she sees two mugs of butterbeer and some straws. "Enjoy ladies."

"Thanks Miss Joyce," Victoria and Rachel say in unison. Victoria grabs her mug, unravels her straw, and takes a sip of the warm, buttery drink.

"What's going on in that beautiful mind of yours, Chase?" Rachel asks once Joyce moves on to assist her other customers. "Kinda saw your face scrunch up for a moment."

Did Rachel just call her  _beautiful?_  Victoria eyes her butterbeer, wondering if someone put a hint of some love potion or an aphrodisiac in their drinks. She blushes. "Uh, I was thinking of something unpleasant. Sorry."

"You're not thinking of Jefferfuck, are you?"

Victoria shakes her head. "Hell fucking no. I would be freaking out if I thought of that trash bag. Don't worry about it, Rach."

Rachel gives her a look, but doesn't press further. They drink their butterbeer in a shared, comfortable silence until Victoria feels unnerved by it. Victoria wouldn't tell Rachel about feeling jealous about her relationship with Chloe because she isn't even sure what that means. Why would she even  _be_  jealous? She has friends, and despite not having a boyfriend, she's satisfied with hanging out with her best friends for good measure.

Victoria doesn't even  _want_  a boyfriend, especially when she can't trust a single man in her life aside from her father. She keeps her distance from male teachers because of Jefferson abusing his power to use her, and she stays away from boys her age because they can be perpetually worse. She used to be friends with Nathan for example, but they had a bad falling out and now she doesn't even address Nathan. He tries to bring up a conversation but Victoria learns to ignore him.

Maybe she'll talk to Taylor to see what's going on, but Taylor would just be smug. Courtney would be hella confused until Victoria explains it further and she will be smug too. However, they are the only people she can talk to.

She raises her head up and Rachel is eyeing her, sizing her up. She feels intimidated by Rachel's intense stare, similar to Fiendfyre. She feels like cowering but she stands her ground. "Hi."

"Seriously, what's eating you?" Victoria still doesn't answer right away. Should she lie so that Rachel would stop asking, or should she tell the half truth about not desiring a boyfriend? "If you don't trust me yet, that's fine but I thought there was a level of trust especially when you told me that you were the reason why Jefferson's rotting away in Azkaban."

"No, it's not that I don't trust you, it's just...sometimes I think about my distrust in men and wonder about how that's gonna affect me in the future." Victoria doesn't want to use the half truth, but the lie would just fall flat. "Like, am I  _ever_  gonna get a boyfriend?"

"I can't tell you that because I never had one nor do I want one, but you don't have to get a boyfriend now. You can wait until you're out of this school if you have to. You might find the one somewhere else. Maybe you will realize that you don't want a boyfriend but a girlfriend instead and that's fine too."

Victoria snorts. "I should've saw that coming."

"Hey! I'm serious!" Rachel says. "You know how many girls I met claiming they will find their ideal boyfriend at Hogwarts and then end up dating other girls? Weigh your options, Vicky. Plus, don't stress yourself over that. If I waited like my parents did, I would've probably had a better relationship with Chloe, or with someone else."

"You would've  _definitely_  had a better relationship with someone else."

Rachel laughs. "Now, I definitely saw that coming."

* * *

When Victoria returns to the Slytherin dungeons, she sits by the fire and is joined immediately by her best friends; one of them recovered quickly from a cold thanks to the Pepper Up Potion that Professor Draco Malfoy probably made. "Did you get the beans?" Courtney asks.

"For fuck's sake Court. Breathe first before you eat those nasty things." Victoria passes her a sack despite Taylor's look of protest. " _Victoria!_ "

"I owed her," she defends. "Now, can we talk?"

Taylor raises an eyebrow while Courtney opens her sack and starts eating her jelly beans. "Are you ok?" Taylor asks.

"Have you guys ever been jealous of a previous relationship that doesn't exist anymore but may resurface?"

Taylor gives Victoria a look. "Do I? I'm still waiting to hear the news of Dana  _finally_  dumping the trash bag named Trevor."

"Is this about Chloe and Rachel?" Courtney questions. "I don't think they're gonna get back together unless Rachel's still in love with Chloe, because we all know Chloe can't seem to quit Rachel."

Taylor glances at Courtney, then back to Victoria. "Is it?"

"It might be." The corners of Taylor's lips curve up, and Victoria groans once she sees the smug smile on her friend's lips. "For fucks sake."

"You  _like_  Rachel!" Taylor teases.

"I  _never_  said I liked Rachel. I just...I don't know. She has a history with Kari Price so they can get back together at any time but if they do, I don't think...I wouldn't enjoy it."

"So you're jealous of Chloe because she dated Rachel," Courtney states. "I don't know, Vic. Sounds like you like Rachel."

"Exactly."

Victoria casts her head down. "I don't…"

"It's ok to be confused, Vic," Taylor assures. "You don't have to assess how you feel about Rachel yet and you surely don't have to label yourself either. If you spend all that time worrying, it's not gonna be any more fun than it already is."

"I can't offer you that kind of advice because I'm a straight girl, but for the most part I agree with Taylor. And if you do like her, that's fine too. Neither of us hate Rachel so we'll accept you. Can't say about Chloe though…"

"I'll worry about Kari Price another day," Victoria waves off. "But thanks you two."

Taylor gets up and hugs her best friend, while Courtney does the same. Victoria laughs a little when they almost fall over the chair.

* * *

Lunch comes an hour after Victoria walked in the castle so she heads towards the great hall with her friends. It's not as busy because everyone is either enjoying their Hogsmeade weekend or they're skipping lunch altogether which means better and more food. Victoria prays that they have good food and not the pathetic excuse of the Yorkshire pudding thy served a few days ago.

"Hey! Chase!" Victoria suppresses a low growl as she turns around, facing the Gryffindor troublemaker Chloe Price. She would do anything to cause a couple pimples on her face. "Let's talk."

Victoria wants to say no. She's seconds away from saying no. "Guys? I'll meet you there."

Taylor and Courtney furrow their eyebrows, then they turn around and walk inside the Great Hall. "Kari Price, what an  _unpleasant_  surprise. What the fuck do you want,  _bitch?_ "

Chloe's eyes narrow into slits, so narrow that Victoria couldn't see her blue irises. "Don't you fucking hurt her."

"I haven't a clue what you're talking about Price, and to be quite frank, you're wasting my time when I could be eat—"

Chloe grabs the front of Victoria's shirt and brings her closer to eye level. Victoria can see the tips of Chloe's hair turning a dangerous red. "You know exactly what and  _who_  I'm talking about, Chase. Once again, don't hurt her. Because if you do, I will beat the living daylights out of you with my bare hands instead of my wand."

Victoria is unfazed. She could destroy Chloe if she wanted to regardless of a wand or a fist. "I'm not scared of you,  _Gryffindor._  Just because you can grab my shirt and tussle me up doesn't mean I am unable to destroy you. Now if you're talking about Rachel, I assure you that there is nothing going on beyond friendship and if so, she will be in better hands than she ever was when she was dating your immature, tantrum throwing, negative energy having ass. So if you would be so kind, to put me down before I claw your eyes out?"

Chloe doesn't put her down immediately. "Chloe, what are you doing?" Max asks, worried.

"I'm reminding Victoria what I can do if she even thinks about doing Rachel dirty." Chloe finally lets go of Victoria, sneers, and stalks away.

Victoria dusts herself off, then glances at Max. "What?" She barks, with as much venom as she can muster.

"I'm sorry about Chloe. She's weirdly possessive of Rachel and well, Rachel kind of likes you now," Max says, unfazed.

"Don't apologize for that dumb bitch's behavior, Caulfield. You aren't responsible for her actions," Victoria replies. "She is."

"I know but...she acts out a lot so…"

Victoria notices the nervousness radiating off Max. She doesn't seem as confident as most of the students. She is the complete opposite of Chloe and Rachel. She's as timid as her girlfriend Kate. It reminds Victoria of Taylor when they first met, but Taylor eventually picked up on a lot of confidence skills as the years passed. "I don't know why she's so worried. Rachel and I are just friends, nothing more. And even if I were dating Rachel, the last thing I would ever do is break her heart, not like when I kicked her out of the Slytherin table." Victoria clears her throat, realizing how...weird that sentence sounded. "Anyway, Chloe Price has nothing to worry about but she should watch out. I  _don't_  take threats lightly."

"I'll, uh, let her know," Max replies, then she smirks. "See you around?"

"Uh, sure, whatever." Max goes inside, leaving Victoria on her own until she walks inside. Much to her pleasure, her friends reserve her a seat and the food actually looks edible. She sits right next to Taylor while Courtney sits across from them, munching on some fish and chips.

"Finally, some good fucking food," Victoria mutters.

"What did that ugly bitch want?" Courtney inquires, nodding her head to Chloe, who hasn't cooled down from her conversation with Victoria.

"She thought Rachel and I have something more than friendship going on so she confronted and threatened me," Victoria explains. She grabs a fried apple pie and places it on her plate. "She looked like she was gonna punch me until Maxine Caulfield saved the day. Then Maxine had the  _audacity_  to apologize for Kari Price's behavior, like she's the one responsible. She's not responsible for  _anything_  Kari does."

"She  _is_  Chloe's friend," Taylor says. "I've apologized for your behavior a few times."

"You don't have to do that.  _Neither of you_  have to do that."

"I know, but we  _want_  to," Courtney replies.

Victoria rolls her eyes. "I hate you both."

"Don't worry about Chloe," Courtney advises. "She just wants to instill fear in you because she still has feelings for Rachel. She knows Rachel won't ever take her back, so she takes it out on you because she sees that Rachel has some type of interest in you."

"Exactly," Taylor agrees. "Now, can we stop talking about Chloe and eat? I feel like if we say her name enough she will show up and start attacking us like the motherfucking Bloody Mary."

"No, no, that's Beetlejuice," Courtney says back.

"Oh my god, I hate you both!" Victoria groans, but she couldn't stop herself from laughing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chaseprice is kinda like drarry if you look at it...honestly...ok sorry


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a reddit post inspired me recently. also, i’m gabbiblack on reddit. :)

Rachel couldn’t get Victoria out of her mind all weekend.

After their talk at the Three Broomsticks, she thought long and hard about Victoria thinking about dating women. It was a crazy thought to begin with because she didn’t seem like the type to date women, but Victoria hating men and less than convincing talk about finding a boyfriend makes it very clear that maybe Victoria isn’t as straight as she likes to think.

However, Rachel would never push someone to the other side. Rachel has had problems with her sexuality before coming out as a lesbian for years. It’s not an easy thing to think about. It’s worse than an existential crisis or even the talk about their futures...or the fucking WOMBAT. 

Rachel heads to class for the day, not really worrying much about everyone else. Chloe’s been extra moody all weekend and it surely hasn’t ceased now that the weekend is over, but Rachel couldn’t give a fuck even if she tried. While she didn’t hear the threat, she heard it from Max and it made Rachel even more pissed at Chloe for even thinking about threatening Victoria. She knows Chloe is still in love with her, but they couldn’t date and that’s that. If Rachel reconsidered it, she would still not date Chloe due to her random ass jealous streak.

Max tries to keep the peace, but poor Max couldn’t save them even if she tried. No one can.

“Accio Magical Creatures textbook,” Rachel mutters. The book almost comes flying towards her but she grabs it in time. “Jeez.”

“Hey Rachel!” Steph greets, smiling at Rachel.

Rachel smiles back. “Stephanie. How are you?”

“Already getting over this year,” Steph replies, sitting right next to Rachel on another armchair. “I know why I’m skipping dinner, but why are you?”

“A huge part of it is Chloe’s petulant behavior driven by the green monster,” Rachel explains. “Another part of it is because I’m not hungry, and another part is because Professor Grant gave my class a fair warning about a pop quiz because no one knew anything about chimaeras, so I’m studying.”

“Yeah, she does that.” Steph relaxes on the chair, while Rachel opens the textbook over to the Beast chapter. “So, what's going on with you and the Queen of Bitch?”

Rachel chuckles, but it lacks humor. “Nothing. We’re friends.”

“Rachel. I know you. Whenever you like someone you are fiercely protective of them and you won’t tolerate even the most irrelevant of students to talk bad of them. Remember when David gave Chloe detentions for no reason in third year and you got his ass fired, then you dated her for over a year?”

“David was abusing his power.”

“David’s been abusing his power ever since he got hired. You knew it but once he targeted Chloe, all bets were off. Does that remind you of anything?” Rachel sighs, and tries to focus on her studying. “Rachel. Come on. I’m not saying it’s wrong to like her but what if you do?”

“What if I do?” Rachel faces Steph. “Steph, Victoria is a straight girl. It wouldn’t work out. It would also cause a bunch of bullshit rumors around school. People would think Victoria is capable of using love potions and I can’t have that. She doesn’t deserve any more shit this school gives her.”

Steph tilts her head to the side. “You know you don’t give a shit about rumors.”

“But she does,” Rachel presses on. “She’s an insecure little girl under all that bitch. A rumor like that would break her even further.”

Steph shakes her head and smiles. “You really like her.”

“Shut up, Steph. I don’t like her...like that.”

Steph only smiles while getting up. “Fine then. I gotta meet up with Drew, that’s why I’m here.”

“Isn’t he at dinner?”

“Drew hasn’t attended dinner for the past two years, aside from the Halloween, the end of the year, and the welcome feasts,” Steph points out. “He prefers to go to the kitchens instead. Don’t ask me why, because even I’m convinced that he doesn’t know the reason.”

Rachel rolls her eyes. “He likes the house elves.”

“Who doesn’t?” Steph asks rhetorically. “See you later then.”

“Bye.” Once Steph disappears through the portrait door, Rachel breathes out a sigh of relief. So far, several people have wondered if she likes Victoria and her answer has always been no, but she isn’t sure if that’s the truth or if she’s lying. However, the growing want for something more doubles the more she thinks about the blond Slytherin.

* * *

 

The next day, Rachel is hella confident for a Care of Magical Creatures pop quiz. She spends almost all night studying and she knows even more about chimaeras than she did before, if that were possible. Mythology may have never been her thing but she for sure understood how they were made and if given an opportunity to encounter them, she’ll run.

She goes downstairs, ignoring the usual chatter between other Gryffindors and heads to breakfast. “Hey Rach. You ready for today’s pop quiz?” Max asks her as soon as Rachel sits down.

“”Never been more ready for a pop quiz in my life.”

“I’m still trying to wrap my head around the mythology part of the chimaera’s existence...I’m even wondering if Newton Scamander saw one himself since he’s the almighty Magizoologist.”

“He would’ve died already,” Kate chimes in.

“Well, he is dead,” Rachel clarifies. “If it helps, I doubt Professor Grant would even ask that.”

Kate makes a face. “I don’t know. Remember when we studied Blast Ended Skrewts and we all failed because we didn’t know that it was a hybrid animal between a manticore and a fire crab?”

“That was a trick lesson,” Max claims.

Rachel chuckles a little as she spreads butter and marmalade on her toast. “I just need to pass this class and make sure I get an Outstanding on these NEWTs. Will I give a fuck about chimaeras after that? Probably not but I can sure as hell pretend to give a damn.”

“You said it,” Max agrees.

Rachel suddenly feels someone sitting next to her. She turns around and isn’t surprised to see Chloe, who doesn’t even address Max or Kate but instead grabs for the scrambled eggs. “Hello to you too, Price.”

“Oh, you're talking to me again?” Chloe grumbles out, without even looking at Rachel.

Rachel sighs deeply and decides not to push. It isn’t worth it anymore. “Chloe, did you study for the pop quiz?” Max asks, trying to relieve some of the tension that now presented itself.

“Nope,” Chloe replies. “Teach just tricked us into doing the reading. That’s how she operates.”

“When’s the last time we saw any teacher doing that?” Kate inquires, her voice thick with sarcasm. “Honestly, Chloe, if you didn’t care so much about the classes, why didn’t you stop at the OWLs?”

Chloe glares at Kate. “Why would I stop at the OWLs?”

“Because you haven’t cracked open a book since you started sixth year?” Rachel answers for her, avoiding a heated conversation between Chloe and Kate. At least Rachel is a match for Chloe because Kate would've cried. “Are you just gonna not care about your education or what?”

Chloe doesn't even answer that. She finishes her scrambled eggs, drinks the last of her water, and gets up. “I got things to do.” She gets up and heads out, without even addressing anyone at the table.

“What the hell is her problem?” Kate inquires.

* * *

Turns out the professor gave an oral pop quiz, as usual, but everyone except Chloe got credit for answering a question right. Rachel walks back to the castle with Max and Kate by her side. They seem to be lost in their own world, but conscious enough to almost bump into several students along the way. “You two can make out when you’re not on the way to class,” Rachel says.

Max glares at her. “Shut up, Rachel.”

“You know it’s true.”

When they get to the viaduct courtyard, they walk through a midst of students (mostly fifth and seventh years) until Rachel hears a voice that piques her interest.

“Yeah, I wonder why.”

Rachel turns around. Victoria is standing in front of Nathan with fury in her stance, while Nathan appears to be smirking. If there was one person the entire school can agree to hate, it would be Nathan. Victoria is probably the second most hated, but only because she’s a bitch. Nathan is an entitled piece of shit with a father who’s even worse than he is, if that were possible. Rachel knew of his sister Kristine, who moved away from the Prescott empire to teach Magizoology at a wizarding school in Brazil. She’s the only Prescott that is actively trying to make a better name of the Prescott’s but to no avail. “Come on, Victoria. You know you want this again.”

“I never did, Prescott,” Victoria spits out. “Now, leave me alone.”

Nathan instead rubs Victoria’s face with the back of his hand. “Are you sure about that?”

Rachel sees red the minute Victoria flinches. She stomps over to Nathan and grabs his hand that was touching Victoria, then stares at him so intensely that other people would probably feel it. “Yeah, she is. Move along, Prescott.”

Nathan snarls the minute Rachel grabs his hand. “Get your filthy hands off me, you dyke!”

“If I see you touching Victoria again, I will break each and every one of your fingers and feed them to the hippogriffs.” She bends Nathan’s hand, making him wince in pain. “Do I make myself clear or do you have to go visit Poppy before your Potions lesson?”

“You got it! Fuck!” Rachel lets go, watching as Nathan nurses his hand. 

“That’s for calling me a filthy dyke. Now go.” Nathan scatters away, and that’s when Rachel notices the people staring at her. Shit. She turns around, facing Victoria. “You’re gonna be ok?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Victoria replies. “I just...hate him so much. I didn’t even hate him before.”

“Is it because of the Jefferson thing?”

“That has a small part in it. We just fell out when I realized that he isn’t the same guy I met during our first year. I think he’s letting his dad get to him but then again he’s always been an entitled asshole. Just now it’s turned up to the point where I was his only friend.”

“Wow,” Rachel says, furrowing her eyebrows. 

“Anyway, um, thanks for helping me out. I would’ve probably freaked out again if you weren’t walking by here.” Rachel notices Victoria’s cheeks reddening, then she scratches her nape in nervousness. “I gotta go.”

“Yeah, sorry.” Rachel backs up and lets Victoria go. Rachel watches her sprint towards the castle. Wat was that? Why did things get awkward? 

“Rachel,” Max calls out, Kate still standing next to her, just as bewildered.

Rachel approaches them. “Let’s go to class.”

Neither girl addressed what happened on the way to class. Good, because even Rachel doesn’t understand, and she’s known to read other people’s body language.

* * *

Classes drag on as usual. Rachel barely has time to worry about Victoria because her classes are now asking for essays and she has to do them to keep her grades up. Some classes are asking for a single scroll, some are asking for two, and some are even asking for four. Rachel has zero time and patience to even think about her life, and she doesn’t have any patience for Chloe either, who seems to avoid even Max for the whole day.

Rachel wants to address it so badly, but if she does, Chloe would just argue with her again and it would be useless. Chloe doesn’t know how to have adult conversations so more often than not, Rachel has to walk on eggshells around her. But, she doesn’t think she can do it any longer. They’re turning seventeen next year and they’re gonna graduate soon. Chloe has to be ready for the real world ether she likes it or not, and there are gonna be things and events that will piss people off but it doesn’t matter.

Rachel gets to finish half of a scroll for her Muggle Studies essay when it’s time for dinner. She follows Max and Kate downstairs but they go their separate ways once they reach the Great Hall. Rachel looks around, watching as several students sit down at their respective tables.

Rachel has no choice but to sit across from Chloe so she does. “How long are you gonna be mad at me?”

“When you cut the bitch off,” Chloe replies.

“I'm allowed to have other friends, Chloe. Not each and every one of my friends have to be Chloe approved. And as far as I’m concerned, you weren’t my first friend at Hogwarts. Drew was, and he didn’t even like you at first.” Rachel looks around her, noticing the appetizing options around her. She chooses the hasselback chicken. “I know you’re not used to our relationship demotion, but that’s just what it is. I’m tired of fighting, and I’m tired of you giving everyone else the cold shoulder.”

“But you don’t even understand—“

“Yes, Chloe. I do. Victoria hated me for five years.” Rachel piles a small mountain of loaded mash potatoes next to her chicken, not caring much that her food is touching. “Yes, she’s a huge bitch, but she’s not a bad person. You would know if you stopped threatening and glaring at her. Or rather, you can just let it go.”

“No,” Chloe says firmly. “I’m not going to let it go. Why is it that you have to downgrade yourself by liking her?”

“Downgrade? What makes you think she’s a fucking downgrade?”

“She’s a bully, Rach,” Chloe replies. “You and I both hate people like that.”

“She hasn’t even...not since Jefferson got himself arrested has she even bullied anyone. And...sometimes you have to understand people instead of judging them right by the bat. She’s not even completely terrible.”

“I’m not going to hear any more benefit of the doubt bullshit from you of all people,” Chloe growls. 

Rachel sighs deeply. This is why she never wants to talk to Chloe anymore these days, especially concerning a crush. “This is exactly why I hate talking to you about this. I want to be able to talk to my friend about having a crush on someone but instead you’re grilling me for every little detail and judging me for even thinking of Victoria.”

“Is that what you really think?”

“Chloe, for fuck’s sake...you make me so angry sometimes. I just want a friend. Is that too hard to ask for?”

“You want a friend? Let me be the friend to tell you that you’re making a mistake.” With that, Chloe just raises up from her seat and leaves the Great Hall. Rachel pushes her plate aside, losing her appetite for the day.


End file.
